Hundreds of residents of Asutsuare, Akuse and nearby communities in the Shai-Osudoku District, staged a peaceful protest to demand urgent government action on poor roads, unsold rice stocks and other development challenges.
The demonstration, organised by the Osudoku Youth Association (OYA), brought together residents, elders, women groups, farmers, traders and youth.
They marched through the principal streets of Asutsuare to Akuse before presenting a petition addressed to President John Dramani Mahama.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Save Osudoku Rice Farmers,” “Fix Our Roads Now,” and “Complete Our Projects.”
The demonstrators described their protest as a constitutional exercise aimed at drawing attention to long-standing development concerns in the area.
Addressing journalists, Mr Richard Nii Sai, the Chairman of the Osudoku Youth Association, said the people of Osudoku overwhelmingly supported President Mahama in the 2024 general election after he visited the traditional area and promised to prioritise its development.
He said the lack of a market for locally produced rice remained the most pressing challenge facing rice farmers in the area.
He explained that Asutsuare and surrounding communities, recognised as one of Ghana’s major rice-producing hubs, had recorded bumper harvests since 2025.
Yet thousands of bags of rice remained unsold in warehouses because imported rice continued to dominate the local market.
Mr Sai appealed to the government to introduce measures to protect the local rice industry and direct the National Food Buffer Stock Company to purchase the accumulated stock to prevent farmers from suffering significant financial losses.
The demonstrators also expressed concern about the poor condition of the Asutsuare-Akuse, Asutsuare Junction, Osuwem-Tsopoli and Volivo township roads.
They said the roads had become almost impassable, particularly during the rainy season.
Mr Sai said the deteriorating road network had contributed to increased transport costs, delayed access to healthcare and post-harvest losses among farmers transporting produce to market.
Another major concern raised by the demonstrators was the abandonment of Phase Two of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme Rehabilitation Project.
“The stalled project had left more than 300 farmers unable to cultivate over 600 hectares of developed farmland for the past two years, threatening jobs and food security,” Mr Said said.
He further called for the completion of the abandoned Asutsuare Market project, saying market women continued to trade under harsh weather conditions while the unfinished structure posed a danger to residents.
The people demanded the immediate distribution of government-subsidised fertiliser to more than 2,400 farmers under the Kpong Irrigation Scheme.
They also called for the completion of abandoned public toilet facilities in Asutsuare, Volivo, Osuwem and Akuse.
They urged the government to initiate constitutional processes to split the Shai-Osudoku Constituency into separate Shai and Osudoku constituencies.
The demonstrators stressed that the protest was peaceful and conducted in accordance with Article 21 (1)(d) of the 1992 Constitution.
They expressed confidence that the President would respond to their petition and address the key development challenges confronting the Osudoku Traditional Area.